PCR-MEDIATED DNA TYPING OF CAMPYLOBACTER-JEJUNI ISOLATED FROM PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT INFECTIONS

The polymerase chain reaction [PCR) and two primers aiming at the ente robacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) and arbitrary DNA s equences, respectively, were used to fingerprint the genomic DNA of 24 Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from five patients with recurre nt C. jejuni infections. Results were compared with biotyping and sero typing. The latter two methods, when combined. distinguished 9 differe nt types, whereas PCR-mediated DNA analysis discriminated 14 different patterns. For six strains, the results of PCR-mediated typing led to different interpretations. This method is proposed as an additional to ol to further discriminate between C. jejuni strains that appear relat ed by conventional typing methods. In view of its rapidity and simplic ity, this method is a potential candidate to replace the relatively sl ow and laborious conventional methods. However, further study is neede d to assess the sensitivity and specificity of PCR-mediated DNA analys is and to investigate the usefulness of this method as an epidemiologi cal tool in outbreaks of Campylobacter infections.